System and method for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium without the use of a hard index

A system for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium, comprising:

• a microprocessor;
• a memory-storage device electrically coupled to the microprocessor;
• and
• a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory-storage device, the computer-executable instructions (i) determining an angular position of a defective data sector on the data-storage medium by counting a number of servo sectors on the data-storage medium that pass a predetermined reference point;
• and (ii) determining a radial position of the defective data sector based on a location of a data-track on which the defective data sector is positioned.

A method for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium, comprising the steps of:

• identifying a defective data sector positioned along a data track on a surface of the data-storage medium;
• writing predetermined identification data to the defective data sector;
• reading track-location data and the predetermined identification data from the defective data sector;
• reading data from servo sectors positioned along the data track;
• updating a count each time the data from one of the servo sectors is read;
• and
• determining a position of the defective data sector on the surface of the data-storage medium based on (i) a value of the count when the identification data from the defective data sector is read, and (ii) the track-location data from the defective data sector.